Word
appeal
Phoneticsap·peal, stress on the second syllable
US/əˈpiɫ/
UK/ɐpˈiːl/
注意In Japanese, アピール usually means “promoting or showing off oneself”. In English, appeal usually means a serious request for help, a request to change a legal decision, or being attractive, not showing off your good points.
주의In Korean, 어필 usually means “showing off your good points”. In English, an appeal is often a serious request for help or a request to a court to change a decision, not only charm or self-promotion.
Definitions
01legal request for review
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Law Formal
n. a formal request to a higher court to change a decision made by a lower court.
n. a formal application to a superior court for the review and reversal of a decision made by an inferior court.
“The lawyer filed an appeal after the judge gave a very harsh sentence.”
“The defendant's legal team prepared a lengthy appeal, citing several procedural errors that occurred during the initial trial.”
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'file', 'lodge', or 'win'.
Synonyms
02request for help
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a serious or urgent request for help, money, or information.
n. an earnest or urgent request for public support, financial assistance, or information.
“The charity launched an emergency appeal to help the victims of the flood.”
“The police made a televised appeal for witnesses to come forward with any information regarding the missing vehicle.”
03attractiveness
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the quality of being interesting or attractive to people.
n. the power or quality of attracting or stimulating interest.
“The main appeal of the job was the chance to travel around the world.”
“The film's enduring appeal lies in its ability to balance sophisticated political commentary with genuine human emotion.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04to request a legal review
B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Formal
v. to formally ask a higher court to change a legal decision.
v. to apply to a higher court for a reversal of the decision of a lower court.
“The company decided to appeal against the fine in the high court.”
“The prosecution indicated that they would appeal the verdict, arguing that the judge had misdirected the jury on a point of law.”
Usage
In British English, speakers usually 'appeal against' a decision; in American English, they often 'appeal' the decision directly.
05to be attractive
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to be interesting or attractive to someone.
v. to be attractive or interesting to a particular person or group.
Español:llamar
“The idea of working from home really appeals to me.”
“The new marketing campaign was specifically designed to appeal to younger consumers who value sustainability over brand name.”
Usage
Always used with the preposition 'to'.
06to ask for help
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make a serious or formal request for help or support.
v. to make an earnest or formal request to a person or authority for a decision or help.
“The government appealed to the public to stay calm during the crisis.”
“The organizers appealed to local businesses for sponsorship to ensure the festival remained free for the community.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “appeal” in context.
Verb
01. launch an appeal
“The charity decided to launch an appeal to raise money for the victims of the flood.”
verb + noun
02. lodge an appeal
“His lawyers plan to lodge an appeal against the court's decision next week.”
verb + noun
03. lose its appeal
“The small town began to lose its appeal as it became more crowded and noisy.”
verb + possessive + noun
Adjective
04. mass appeal
“The new smartphone was designed to have mass appeal across all age groups.”
adj + noun
05. urgent appeal
“The hospital made an urgent appeal for blood donors following the accident.”
adj + noun
Preposition
06. appeal for
“The police issued a public appeal for information regarding the missing person.”
noun + prep
07. on appeal
“The original sentence was reduced on appeal after new evidence was presented.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“One corner shop owner appealed to members of a pop-up WhatsApp group to behave themselves.” “After her appeals to hitch a ride to their chosen site were met with no response, they took matters into their own hands.” Etymology
From Middle English apel, appel (“formal accusation brought in court; a challenge to trial by combat; an appeal to a higher court or authority; plea (for mercy, protection, etc.); pealing (of bells)”) [and other forms], from Old French apel (“a call”) (modern French appel (“a call; an appeal”)), from apeler (“to call; to call out”), from Latin appellāre (“to address as, call by name; to drive, move to; to land or put ashore”), alternative form adpellāre, from ad- (prefix meaning ‘to; towards’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂éd (“at; to”)) + pellere (“to drive, impel, push; to hurl, propel; to banish, expel; to eject, thrust out”) + -āre, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pelh₂- (“to approach”), from *pel- (“to beat; to drive; to push”). Doublet of appel.
From Middle English apelen, appelen (“to accuse; to make a formal charge before a court, etc., impeach; to challenge to trial by combat; to apply to a higher court or authority for review of a decision; to call upon for a decision, favour, help, etc.; to call by a name”) [and other forms], from Old French apeler (“to call; to call out”); see further at etymology 1.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/appeal
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0